Date
11-17-2023
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
Carey Roberts
Keywords
Mormon Battalion, James K. Polk, Brigham Young, Mexican - American War, Joseph Smith
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Mihora, Nicholas Paul, "The Mormon Battalion, Cooke’s Wagon Road, and the Making of the New West" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4948.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4948
Abstract
In their march to California, the Mormon Battalion played a vital role in laying the groundwork, literally and figuratively, for westward expansion. One of their largest contributions to westward expansion was the trail they laid down through the barren landscape, known as the Mormon Trail. Many thousands of pioneers would literally follow in their footsteps in the decades that followed. They also established many settlements, largely throughout the Utah territory which was subsequently divided into the states of Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. These states, initially called the State of Deseret by the Mormons and called the Utah Territory by the federal government, are still collectively known today as the Mormon Corridor.
